A small plot of land in a mountain village

"The cycads we're transporting this time should fetch a good price," the fat man driving said with a chuckle.

Zhang Niu, who was sitting next to him, said after hearing this, "Maybe! I've heard from others that for a good cycad to fetch a high price, it has to be of good quality and have beautiful flower pillars."

The fat man scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? Just the shape of your iron tree's leaves alone is enough to satisfy anyone, not to mention everything else."

The cycads grown in the space are indeed more tender and green than those grown outside. While carrying the cycads onto the car, my hands were scratched quite a few times by the large leaves.

"Anyway, there are all sorts of strange things in this place." The fat man was already used to it; he probably hadn't seen anything like it in his lifetime. He could freeload off people whenever he wanted, and life was comfortable.

The fat man's point actually makes sense.

"It's just good luck," was the only answer Zhang Niu could give.

"If I had that kind of luck, I'd be a multi-millionaire by now, and I wouldn't have to drive for you," he said indignantly.

Judging from the fat man's mouth, Zhang Niu felt that this guy had never said anything nice.

"But then again, staying at your place makes me feel different every day, and my health seems to have improved a lot. You know, I used to have a lot of social engagements, which left me with a lot of health problems, but they're all gone now."

Even without Fatty saying anything, Zhang Niu knew that Chairman Zhang's complexion was much better than before, with a rosy glow, and he seemed to be getting younger and younger. Fatty would always tease him, wondering if he had experienced a second spring in his life.

This made Chairman Zhang so angry that he wanted to grab the fat man and give him a beating. "He has a wife at home, yet he still wants to find a second spring. What kind of logic is that?" Only a fat man with no sense of restraint would dare to say such a thing.

"The mountainside environment is certainly pleasant, but you still need to lose weight." Looking at the big belly, she still advised the fat man to lose weight.

"No, don't drag me into this dieting. I'm used to it myself. Being fat has its advantages. Thick fat. I'm not afraid of the cold in winter." He chuckled a few times as he said this.

This idea was actually for keeping warm; truly, no one has ever thought of it before, let alone since.

Zhang Niu was impressed by this.

Many people are eager to gain weight so they can have a good figure, especially Zhang Niu, who is as thin as a bamboo pole no matter how much he eats and just can't gain weight.

It's like a pig in a pigsty; if the pig doesn't grow long hair, the owner has to go check on it several times a day.

Pigs are getting impatient if they don't get fat.

In the county town, traffic flowed smoothly this morning, unlike in the provincial capital where traffic jams were a common sight.

Students passing by on the roadside carried white plastic bags filled with steamed buns in one hand and a bottle of soy milk or hot milk in the other.

This place has changed so much compared to the town; it truly lives up to its reputation as a county seat.

It was still early, so Zhang Niu and Fatty parked their car by the roadside and chose a roadside food stall.

There are few urban management officers in the county town, and many stalls are set up on the roadside as early as five or six o'clock in the morning, full of various breakfast snacks.

The fat man was unceremonious when it came to food, bringing back a lot of snacks and placing them on the table, urging Zhang Niu to eat quickly, as they wouldn't taste good if they got cold.

It's only about seven o'clock.

. . . . .

"Old Zhang? This is Old Zhu."

Outside the Happy House, near the fitness equipment, Chairman Zhang was answering a call on his phone.

Upon hearing this voice, I was surprised to hear Old Zhu calling. "Hmm, why did you think of calling me so early in the morning?"

I was quite happy to receive this call from an old friend first thing in the morning.

"Heh, can't you make a phone call if there's nothing wrong? You're so outdated. These days, isn't it all about chatting? You're doing well over there, aren't you?"

Officials really do have a different mindset; they consider everything from all angles. "Yes, this life is good, with mountains and rivers, it's so leisurely."

Chairman Zhang is increasingly satisfied with this place.

"I'm going to a meeting in the county town today, which is relatively close to your place, so I was planning to come and see you, to see if your place is really as you say." Old Zhu's cheerful laughter came through the microphone.

This really puzzled Chairman Zhang. Why did Old Zhu come all this way? He decided to wait until he got here to ask his questions. "That's great. You'll love this place once you're here."

"If I hadn't called to ask, I would have made a wasted trip if you hadn't been there."

Chairman Zhang gave them the address of the place, since they could find the address there anyway.

Old Zhu is coming over, so Chairman Zhang should go find Liangshan and cook some local specialties for lunch. Although Old Zhu won't care, he's still quite good at sweet-talking.

Chairman Zhang simply said that his friend was coming over and asked Liang Shan to cook some good dishes, as long as they were unique. Liang Shan nodded happily, saying that unique dishes were no problem.

"Xiao Dong, prepare the materials. Let's set off in a bit!" Old Zhu said casually.

Officials naturally have that authority, and killing people naturally brings a murderous aura; these are all based on the same principle.

"That's it, it'll be done soon."

Fatty and Zhang Niu came out with their stomachs full. The snacks Fatty ordered tasted good, and Zhang Niu, who had studied in this county, couldn't compare to Fatty when it came to food.

After the fat man explained, Zhang Niu realized that this guy used to take his girlfriend to explore the snacks in the county town whenever he had free time. He had tried almost every famous snack in the town and could talk about what was delicious and authentic in the county town in great detail.

The two drove to the center of the flower market, a small flower market in the county town where many orchids, azaleas, and camellias were sold.

Early in the morning, many people started this business, with pots of flowers in all shapes and sizes displayed on the ground.

Zhang Niu, who doesn't usually like growing flowers, also became interested in this flower, but because he didn't know much about flowers, he didn't say much.

"Stop looking, come and move the ironwood tree!" It was the fat man behind the car shouting.

Many brightly colored flowers attracted Zhang Niu, who stood there motionless.

Zhang Niu smiled sheepishly after hearing this and said, "Coming right away, don't rush." ​​He then hurried over.

"You, I never see you interested in flowers before, how come you're so captivated by them this time?" the fat man said with ill intent.

"Not growing flowers doesn't mean I don't like flowers! Looking at flowers is my freedom." I think this is a very good explanation.

The two moved the cycads to the roadside and arranged them in a row. There were no GG signs, but such a large pot of cycads was visible to everyone, especially the conspicuous flower stalks, which were the best GG.

These cycads were all handpicked; their appearance is sure to please others.

The emerald green cycads are a beautiful sight in this flower market.

"They sell cycads over there, let's go take a look."

Many flower enthusiasts who love to visit the morning market have noticed this eye-catching cycad.

The early bird catches the worm, and this principle applies equally to flower enthusiasts who arrive early. Especially for those selling orchids in the morning, a good eye combined with luck might just bring them wealth.

Early this morning, flower enthusiasts became interested in Zhang Niu's six potted cycads.

A number of people had already gathered around the cycad placed in front of them, examining it closely.

Zhang Niu didn't know much about iron trees, and neither did the fat man; frankly, they were both laymen.

Laymen only look at the surface, while experts examine everything from all aspects.

"It's only been a short while, but quite a few people have already arrived," the fat man said, looking at the crowd ahead.

Zhang Niu looked around and nodded. "That's right, it's rare to see an iron tree bloom."

Zhang Niu wasn't in a hurry to deal with the people looking at the tree. Those who knew its value would naturally buy it. There was no need to worry about the iron tree going unsold. Besides, once the iron tree left the space, its growth rate was as slow as a snail's crawl.

Zhang Niu was well aware of this; once he bought the flowers, it would take a long time for the flower stalks to fully bloom.

"It's truly like an iron tree blooming."

"There are still several kinds."

"Damn it, this is a lucky day, we should hurry up and buy a lottery ticket to try our luck."

The sounds of the iron tree rising and falling echoed around it, showing that this iron tree brought people a lot of surprises, even leading to people buying lottery tickets.

This reminds me of the time the fat guy rushed to buy lottery tickets early in the morning and even won. There are still quite a few superstitious people.

The surrounding noise attracted many flower enthusiasts who stopped to watch.

Such a good opportunity, if you don't seize it, you'll miss it forever.

Cycas are everywhere, but flowering cycads are quite rare.

"Young man, how much do you plan to sell this ironwood for? Name your price and let us take a look," a middle-aged man called out from the crowd, his voice immediately silencing the surroundings.

This person must be a cycad enthusiast. Naturally, there are many flower lovers who adore this type of cycad.

These singers all have a large group of fans, it's the same principle.

Even without the middle-aged man speaking, many people wanted to hear the price, whether it was high or low, and if possible, they would buy one themselves.

Since someone asked about the price, Zhang Niu loudly replied, "This cycad produces flower pillars. I don't know much about cycads, so the price for one pot is two thousand RMB. No bargaining."

Zhang Niu sets a price directly and doesn't allow bargaining, just like buying clothes in a supermarket where prices are fixed and people naturally like it, saving them the trouble of haggling.

These words naturally caused a stir among the crowd. Two thousand RMB was indeed a high price, but from another perspective, a cycad that could produce flower pillars was indeed very rare.

After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged man turned and squeezed through the crowd. Many people thought the price was too high and left because they couldn't afford it.

Once the price was announced, many onlookers left, leaving only a considerable number of people still watching, including cycad enthusiasts.

"Let's go then!" Zhang Niu wasn't in a hurry. This ironwood tree wasn't sold to just anyone; who would buy it for no reason? He really had too much money and nowhere to go.

The once lively crowd suddenly became deserted.

"No rush, it's only a few o'clock. Business will be at its peak between nine and ten o'clock," the fat man said with a smile.

"I want this ironwood."

It turned out that the middle-aged man who had squeezed out earlier had returned, carrying a black bag in his hand, which I guessed contained banknotes.

Looking at the middle-aged man in front of me, panting heavily, it seems he ran to get the money and came back.

"The prices are all marked. You can choose which cycad you want," Zhang Niu said, pointing to several cycads.

The middle-aged man smiled and pointed to two red, semi-circular cycads. "These two are beautiful."

I thought they were buying one pot, but they bought two at once. It was really unexpected.

Zhang Niu was naturally all smiles. He sold two pots as soon as the market opened, and things should get even better from here on out.

P.S.: I'm not feeling great today, sorry! (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!)